Stirrup



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

D. W. CLARK, OF STRATFORD, CONNECTICUT.

STIRRUP.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 29,953, dated September 11, 1860.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, DAVID W. CLARK, of Stratford, Fairfield county,State of Connecticut, have invented a new and useful Improvement inStirrups; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full and exactdescription, which will enable any person skilled in the art to make anduse my invention.

Reference is to be had to the drawings which form a part of thisspecification.

Figures 1 and 2 are perspective views.

Similar letters of reference indicate the same parts.

A is the stirrup which is to be made in the ordinary well known form andmanner.

My improvement consists in the employment within the stirrup of alaterally ad justable bar B; whereby the open space between the sidepieces of the stirrup may be contracted at pleasure and thus be fittedto the size of any riders foot so as to prevent the foot from passingtoo far through the stirrup.

The bar B is made, preferably, of thin steel, so as to be elastic, andits upper end riveted or hinged to the inner part of the stirrup asshown in the drawings. The lower part of the bar B extends down nearlyto the bottom of the inside of the stirrup where the foot rests, and thebar is here provided with a catch, or pawl or screw.,-so that said lowerend of the bar may be set and held in any desired position.

The foot is to be introduced between the bar and either side of thestirrup; in general, the use of one bar within each stirrup willsuffice; but if preferable two bars may be employed, one near each sideof the stirrup.

The fastening by which the bar B is held in place may consist of a smallpawl C hinged to the lower part of the bar and engaging with a rack, C,out upon or set into the bottom part of the stirrup as shown in Fig. 1;or the said bar B may be adjusted by means of a screw D, attached to andprojecting laterally from the lower part of the bar, as shown in Fig. 1;said screw being provided with a nut E, by turning which the bar B willadvance, or recede from the side of the stirrup; the elasticity of thebar B tending to keep the bar pressed up toward the side of the stirrup.That part of the side of the stirrup opposite the screw D is slotted soas to receive the end of the screw, and guide the same. If preferablethe side of the stirrup may contain a nut to receive the screw, whichlatter would then be attached to the stirrup instead of to the bar;when, by screwing in the screw it would bear against the bar B andadjust it as desired. Another mode of adjusting and holding the lowerend of the bar is to attach a small vertically sliding bolt F to thelower end of the bar B as shown in Fig. 2. The bolt F is slotted and tworivets a, a, pass through the slots into the bar B; the rivets hold thebolt F against the bar B; but the bolt is allowed to move up and down soas to pass into a series of holes or notches b, 6, made in the bottom ofthe stirrup, as shown in Fig. 2. The upper end of bolt F is curved intothe form of a handle. Another mode of holding the lower end of the bar Bis to have a slot made through the bottom part of the stirrup, as at G,Fig. 2, the sides of the slot being notched as at c c. The end of thebar B is intended to project down through the slot G and to be narrowerthan the slot. Upon one side of the bar B there is pivoted a smallswinging dog H; the bar is held in any of the notches c by pressing oneedge of the bar into one of the notches, and then turning down the dog Hso that the space between the sides of the slot G will be filled and theedge of the bar B prevented from working out of the notch 0. hen thescrew is used as in Fig. 1 the lower end of the bar may project downthrough the slot I in the bottom of the stirrup, and said slot will alsoserve to guide the end of the bar B and prevent it from moving out ofplace.

I am not limited to the contrivances here shown for holding andadjusting the bar B, because any other suitable device may be employed.

v Having thus described my invention what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent is- The employment within the stirrup A, of alaterally adjustable bar B, substantially in the manner and for thepurpose herein shown and described.

D. W. CLARK.

W'itnesses:

A. E. BEACH, M. L. HOLBROOK.

